Surge protectors

YES I HAVE HEARD OF THEM.

I'm back, sort of. Using an old broken laptop.

We had heavy-duty surge protectors/UPS on both the computer and the DVD/VCR player.

The surge came through the data cable and the TV cable, not the power supply. Even if sudden lightning storms were typical around here (and they're very rare - this was the FIRST loud lightning strike that I heard in this particular storm) I didn't have those surge protected and I probably wouldn't have disconnected them even if I had remembered in time.

And if you know of an affordable home surge protector that can protect data lines and TV cables from a direct nearby lightning strike (the kind that rattles your windows and that you can feel in your eardrums), I'm definitely listening, because I don't want to lose another computer!!